November/December 2011 This I Believe
Occupy Together: An Evolving Revolution
by Sharif Abdullah
My old friend, Native American activist Calvin Hecocta, called me up and asked me to come to Occupy Portland. Since this was the second phone call that I’ve gotten from him in 10 years, I thought I’d better pay attention.
I have long been an advocate for a visionary, inclusive transformation of society. I have been calling for such a transformation for decades, based on our values and on a clear vision of a positive future for all beings.
As I told Calvin, I’ve been following the Occupy Together (OT) movement in the alternative press, and I have not yet seen a vision emerge. Even more than that, I have not heard people talking about the spirit that must be an integral part of any real change. We must transform this society — not because we’re angry at corporate greed, but because that’s what it will take to save the Earth and save our souls. The Earth is sacred, corporations are not.
I said all this to Calvin. After a pause, he said, “Well, if you come, the vision and the spirit will be there.” Pretty hard to argue with his logic.
So I went to Occupy Portland not because I’m angry or frustrated — I’m not. I went to share a vision: A society where people dismantle the toxic systems and structures by imagining and creating brand new ones, where we roll up our sleeves and do the hard work and heavy lifting of creating a world that works for all beings.
I went for another reason: To bear witness that there is a new society waiting to be born. Whether it’s OT or some other manifestation, the new society is not only necessary — it's inevitable.
I’ve learned a lot about this phenomenon, from participating in Occupy Portland to speaking at Occupy LA. In my speech on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, I mentioned several times the necessity for vision.
Some listeners thought I was calling for goals or demands. I was not.
Visions and goals are different — understanding this is absolutely critical to the continued existence of OT. This is not the time for the OT forces to develop a “12-point platform.” That comes much later, after a coherent vision has emerged. However, the development of vision is both timely and important.
In the search for vision, the vision voyagers must get out of their heads and into their hearts. Vision is a function of spirit — it comes when the mind and heart are at rest, focused on the largest, most positive and most inclusive future.
I am encouraged by the willingness of the OT forces to release the existing forms and structures of political discourse. There is one truth that the OT folks have understood very well: We have little experience in the practice of democracy in this country. Our political institutions give us almost no experience in democracy. Pulling a lever for prepackaged candidates is the antithesis of democracy.
We’ve got to be willing to make this up as we go along, creating, modifying (and discarding when appropriate) new systems and structures — for economics, for politics, for all of the elements that make up a society.
And, along with releasing existing forms and structures of politics, the Occupiers must also let go of the theories of capitalism (it’s dying), communism (it’s dead) and any other theory that was formulated by men long dead and buried.
This is an essential truth:
We are smart enough to figure out how to get ourselves out of this hole we’re in. And we don’t need anyone’s permission in order to think big.
— Dr. Sharif Abdullah, founder of Commonway Institute, www.commonway.org